Lighter



Nov. 28, 1933. G. P. scHMsTT LIGHTER Filed oct. 9, 195s INVENTOR j rjffi/111W l ATTQR'NEY i lllllxilllllllll! llllll IL lL Z Patentedl Nov.28, 1 933 PATENT OFFICE LIGHTER George Philip Schmitt, New York, N. Y.,as-

signor to Platinum Products Corporation, a corporation of New JerseyApplication October 9, 1933. Serial No. `692,856

5 Claims.

This invention relates to lighters for use in igniting cigarettes andthe like and employing a catalyst which becomes incandescent inco-action with the vapor of alcohol, in the presence of air, such`classof lighters being described in United States Patent No. 1,899,008, datedFebruary 28, 1933, and in my pending application, Serial No. 689,114,filed September 12,1933.

My present improvement comprises a 'capsule or container for thecatalyst, which catalyst consists of platinum black, either in the formof a pellet, or in a vgranular state.

Heretofore the platinum black has been used in the form of a pellet,with a surface thereof exposed for contact by a cigarette or cigar forignition purposes, and when used with a degree 'of care, as by onlylightly touching the pellet with the cigarette or cigar end, the serviceis eicient and the pellet has a long life of usefulness. Butv whenhandled more roughly, the pellet, being of a frangible nature, may crackand disintegrate, when it Will fall out of place. Therefore I havedevised container means for the catalyst, Whether it` be in pellet orgranular form, and have provided such container means with the necessaryqualifications to permit the functioning of the catalyst with' thehighest degree of eiciency. Thus, the container has a base land wall of4porcelain or other suitable heat insulating material, in order thatheat generated in the catalyst may not pass to. the lighter casing, thebase also being either porous or perforated, in order that alcoholicvapor and air may pass to the catalyst; and the container has a frontcover composed of a thin disk of mica, forming the outer, exposedclosure, which confines the catalytic material, and is sufficientlytough to resist such impacts and pressures as may be made thereon by acigar or cigarette when applied thereto. Besides the quality ofresistance to heat possessed by mica renders it very desirable foruse-as the front closure element, in contacting relation with thecatalyst.

The disk of mica is perforated yso that suction may be had therethrough,and the igniting heat of incandescence generated in the catalyst iscommunicated through the mica disk to the cigarette or the like that isapplied thereto.

Other features and advantages of my `will hereinafter appear.

Figure 1 is a sectional View of a lighter including my improved catalystcontaining Ineans.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on the-line`3-3 of Fig. 1.

invention Fig. 4 is a partial, sectional view showing a modified form ofcontainer means.

Fig. 5 is a partial, sectional view, showing the container means in theform of a capsule.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view, showing a portion of the capsule ofFig. 5, and

Fig. '7 is a detail of the` capsule in a further modification thereof. Y

In said views let `1 indicate the lighter casing, having a cap 2 to fitremovably thereover, and letv 3 indicatela cylindrical sleeve which isadapted to contain absorbent material, such for example as cotton woolor felt, here indicated at 4. The casing is provided with an annularshoulder 5 to form a seating stop for the cap.

A hollow, cylindrical holder 6, is adapted at one end to t snugly, butremovably,'over the outer end of sleeve 3, said outer end being reducedin diameter, as at 7, to receive said holder, in order that the sleeveand holder, when fitted together, may have the same outside diameterthroughout their combined length. This is'for the purpose of enabling.the united sleeve and holder to t tightly, though removably, Within thecasing. The holder 6 has an inturned flange 8 at its outer end, toretain the catalytic element, which appears here in the form of a blockor pellet 9 of spongy platinum composition, having a series ofaperturesY 10 therethrough.

In Figs. 1 and 3 the perforated pellet 9- is shown as surrounded by anencasing annulus 11 composed of porcelain or other suitable materialthat is a non-conductor of heat, and. a capsule-like enclosure for thepellet is provided by means of front and rear, perforated disks 12, 13,front disk 12 being of mica, and the rear disk 13 being of either micaor some other suitable, heat resisting material. The disks 12 and 12 maybesecured to the annulus l1 in any suitable manner, to constitute acatalyst containing capsule.

The capsuler is confined between the flange 8, with which the disk 12i's in contact, and an annulus of porcelain or the like, 14, which liescontactingly beneath the disk 13, said annulus 14, and

hence lthe capsule, being localized by means of a` split ring 15 thatlis tensionally fitted Within holder 6. A

The sleeve 3 has an inturned ilange 16 at its outer end, said flangeserving thedouble purpose of retaining the absorbent material within thesleeve, and of butting against the split ring 15, when the holder hasbeen fitted upon the sleeve, to firmly hold ring 15, annulus 14, and thecapsule in their adjusted positions.

The absorbent material 4, when. of felt or the the lbetween theabsorbent material and the capsule.

In Fig. 4 a'modied form of capsule is shown, wherein the porcelainannulus, here indicated at 22, is of extended height, and is providedwith an inward shoulder portion 23, to seat the disk 13 of the capsule,this shoulder portion being concaved at its un-der surface and leaving adiminished intermediate `opening for the purpose of concentrating andadding speed to the ow of mingled fuel vapor and air that is drawnthrough I l the absorbent material in the act of igniting a removedtherefrom, for renewal purposes.

cigarette or the like. The extended height of the annulus 22 permits itto take the place of'annulus 14, shown in Fig. 1, it being directlylocalized by the split ring 15, and providing the chamber 21.

As will be noted in Fig. 4, the catalyst here shown, instead of being inpellet form, is in the form of granules 24, these granules being largerthan the perforations in discs 12, 13, so that they may not passtherethrough.

I have found that the catalyst in granular form, is highly efcientf'andit valso avoids the extra expense of moulding the catalytic materialintd pellets.

In yet another form of container for the cata= lyst, shown in Fig. 5, aporcelain or the like vessel is provided, having the wall 25 andperforated base 23. This vessel is to be lled with the catalyst, ingranular form, as indicated at 2'?, or, if preferred, the catalyst may.be in the form of a pellet, and then a thin disk of perforated mica,shown at 28, is to be sprung into a groove 29 pro'- vided in the innerperiphery of wall v26, for its secure lodgement, thus providing acapsule which can conveniently be placed in the holder, and As moreclearly shown in Fig. 6, the Wall 26 has an inner sloping perimeter, 30,to ease the mica disk toward the groove 29 whenspringing it thereinto.

In the still further modication of Fig. 7 I have shown a porcelainvessel having wall 31 and perforated base A32, as provided with aperforated mica disk 33 which is imposed upon the edge of I resaca? wall31, and then a sleeve 34, which may be of metal, and has an inturnedflange 35,y is teleL`= scoped snugly over the Wall 31, and the flange 35caused to clamp the disk 33 between said ange and the edge of wall 31,thereby constituting a simple and practical form of capsule, which se-'curely contains the inserted catalyst.

Whilst variousr eans of attaching the perforated disk of mica to the topof the vessel, to close it, have been herein described and illustrated,I do not wish to be limited to the use' of these precise attachingmeans, being aware that other modeslof attachment may be employed,within the spirit and scope of my invention.

I- claim: A

1. A catalyst container for lighters comprising a vessel havinganimperforate wall composed of heat insulating, non-porous material, aperforated base, a top closure consisting of a perforated disk of mica,and catalytic material enclosed within said container. K

2. A catalyst container for lighters comprising a vessel composed ofheat insulating, non-porous material, said vessel having an imperforatesurrounding wall and a perforated base, a perforated 100 it, a sleeve tofit snugly over the wall of said vessel, said sleeve having an inturnedflange to clamp 11@ the disk against the edge of said wall, andcatalytic material enclosed within said vesseL 4. A catalyst container,for lighters composed of a porcelain vessel having an imperforate surrounding wall and a perforated base, a perforat 115 et disk of mica toclose said vessel, means for attaching said disk to said vesseltoconstitute a capsule, and catalytic material in granular form enclosedwithin said capsule. v f

5. A catalyst container for lighters comprising a vessel having aperforated base and perforated front closure means, to constitute acapsule, and catalytic material in granular form enclosed within saidcapsule. f

GEORGE PHILIP SCHMITT. l 5

